common oblacion and sacrifice of all / not of the preiste more then of the poeple / but this only that the preist both in wordes and action / doth go before the poeple.
de Ciuitate dei. lib. 10. cap. 6. Augustine doth saye / that the churche is offered in that offeringe which it doth offer. For all which do communicate / they do offer them selues vnto godd / and do testifie that their will is / to abide in christe.
The papistes do holde also that the breade is turned into the substaunce of christes bodie / and that ther remaynith nothing but the qualitie and accidẽce of breade as whitenes / &c. for the substaũce / saye they / is christes bodie. But the scripture saith that christe in his laste supper did gyue breade vnto his disciples / 1. Cor. 11. and paule callith it breade also / yeat in the Masse the papistes saye that it is otherwise.
The vse of the breade and wyne by christis instituciõ is only / that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke therof in the remembrance of christe / But the papistes in their Masse do most shamefully abuse them both. For wheare as the worde of godd saythe: Deutron 6 math. 4. Thow shalt worshipp the Lorde thy godd and hym only shalt thow serue / They in ther masse do lyfte vpp the breade and wyne / and euen in the rowme of godd they sett them furthe to be adored and worshipped of the poeple: now how farr this differrith from the vse of christes supper eich man may se. Yea what can be more vile and filthie Idolatrie / then to adore and worshipp a peace of brede ãd cupp of wyne / as godd? Be not offended that I do
vse theise bare names. I do confes / that whosoeuer acording to the Lordes Instituciõ doth cõmunicate with the cõgregaciõ and dothe eate the breade ãd drinke of the cupp of the Lorde / beholding the deathe of christe with Lyuely faithe / the same man is in sprete ãd after his manier / made partaker of the body ãd bludd of the lorde. Contrari wise if thow do not vse the breade and wyne acordinge to the ordinaunce of christe / but gase vppon them / then ar they nothinge els to the / but breade ãd wyne: But if in a popishe Masse / or in the popishe hãging / heauing / carying / or handelinge of them / thow do worshipp them / thẽ ar they vnto the a false Idoll / ãd thow indeede a filthie Idolatror. If therfor thow wilt be partaker of the body and bludd of christe in the holy supper / then eate the breade and drincke the cupp as the lorde hathe instituted. Godd wold haue the poeple in the vse of the holy Supper to ascend vppwarde into heauen in mynde and affectiõ / that they might ther cleaue fast vnto christe. And therfor the true ministers of the churche do labour to the vttermost of their poure / thus to lifte vpp the poeples mynde into heauen / that they shuld not seeke christe in the worlde / that they shuld not thinck ony fleshly or earthely thinge of hym: Theise men clean contrarie in the order of their Sacrament and Masse do miserably detayn the poeple in the earthe / bynding and holding them to the visible signes.
1. Cor. 14 The apostle commaundith that thinges shuld not be doone in the congregacion in a straunge tongue
/ except ther wer an Interpretour / that the thing being vnderstonded of all / the hearers might saye / Amen / and that the edifyinge of them shuld be sought. Now theise men in their masse do all in the Laten tongue / which is to the common poeple vnknown / and they do defend this theyr doing euen against the worde of godd. But it is most certayn that christe our sauiour in his administration / and after him all his apostles and disciples which wer hebrues / vsed theyr vulgare hebrue tongue / the Grecians also their greke tonge. And euen vnto this daye the Sclauonians in their churches vse their vulgare and commen speache.
Those wordes of our greate and singuler consolation / in wich the partakinge of Christes bodye and bloude is promised / the papistes in their Masse speake secretlie / they whisper them so that euen they which knowe the Latine tonge cã neither heare thẽ nor vnderstande them. And so do they rumble them vp to their owne selues as thoughe the people were vnworthie to heare thẽ: But christ in his super spake thẽ openlie. And so the greke churche ãd the Churche of India / do yet speake thẽ with ã audible voice And the aunciẽt manier was / as Ambrose and Augustĩe amõg other of the fathers do testifie that the people dyd answer vnto those words. Amẽ. But as I suppose the papistes do thus murmure ãd speake these words in secrete / bicause they wolde not haue their Lies knowen / for they do saye / Take ye and
eate / and this so oftẽ as ye do / do yt in the remẽbraũce of me. But who taketh / or to whõ do they giue? The wordes be spokẽ to the people: And yet they thẽ selues do eate and drike vp all alone / and do distribute vnto no mã ells. Is not this to make a lie? To lie alwaies is takẽ to be an euill thĩge / but before god to lie / is a moste shamles and wiked thinge: who dothe eate (o ye lyyng papistes) or who doth drinke wyth you? If ye do distribute at any tyme to ony other ye do yt not when ye your selues receyue / but ye chose for them an other time / yea and another kinde also / for to thẽ ye do minister but the breade onlye. Thus ye se that all theise thinges which these massers do in their masse / ar contrarye to the institution of Christe. Ther masse then and Christes supper ar not lyke.
The papistes saye that by their Action (I meane ther handeling of ther breade and wyne) they do applie vnto others the profitt of Christs bloudie sacrifice and passiõ. Of a Sacramẽt they saye that they make sacrifices to profit the quicke and the Deade. and this do they ĩ ther masse. But the scripture teacheth / that there is but one only propiciatorie sacrifice / able and auaylable to take awaie synnes / whiche Christe Iesus offered in his owne fleshe vpon the Crosse. And that euerie man muste applie vnto him selfe by liuelie faythe the benefite of that same sacrifice of christe / as the scripture teacheth likewise / that eche man is iustified by his own faithe, and
that eche man in his owne righteousnes or vnrighteousnes / doth liue / or die. It teachithe also that christe did institute the sacrament only to this end that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke it in the remẽberaunce of that same his Sacrifice. And that eiche one in the drincking therof shuld apply vnto himself by faithe / the fruite of that Sacrifice. Now compare the doctrine of the scriptures and of the papistes in this pointe together / and thou shalt se that their Masse is contrarie to christes Institucion. But as they haue / so still will they saye:
That aswell the liuing as the deade be helped by this their acte applied at their pleasure. If they wolde saie that thei profyt others by praier / that were tollerable. But they go further and saie / that ther verye massinge worcke it selfe / hathe so moche vertue / power ãd strenghthe in it / that it shall profit not only all kyndes of mẽ / but all such creatures ãd beastes for whom they do say ther masse / bicause in it they do applye the benefite of christes passion: but ye must vnderstõd whẽ they be payed for ther labor. This is an horrible error in no wise to be suffered / for as I sayed / ther is but one only sacrifice propiciatorie to take awaye synne / which one sacrifice eiche one of vs must applie vnto our selues by liuelie faythe / And this applyinge faithe is the only gifte of god: But on this grounde buylde they their purgatorie and mutch other such pelf / by which they do pycke mens purses. They saye ther Masses also
in the honor of this / or of that saincte. And of what saintes? suche verylie whose histories are not certaynlie knowen / and are of none authoritie / yea many of thẽ are no better then poetes fables / of whõ not vnworthelie we doubte whether they be sainctes or no: But be it that they were true sainctes / yet this their doinge is moste cõtrarie to christes ordinance / for Christe did institute his supper to this ende that it sholde be vsed in the remembrance of his deathe and not of other mens / weare they neuer so holye.